Wilhelmina McAlpin Godfrey (August 27, 1914 – May 13, 1994) was an American painter, printmaker, textile artist, educator, and community activist based in Buffalo, New York. Her multifaceted career spanned over five decades, during which she made significant contributions to the arts and her community. ​ Early Life and EducationBorn in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Godfrey was raised and educated in Buffalo, New York. She displayed an early passion for art, enrolling in all available art classes at Fosdick Masten Park High School. Although the Great Depression interrupted her education, she resumed her studies in the 1940s, earning scholarships to the Art Institute of Buffalo and the Albright Art School of the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, from which she graduated in 1949. In 1962, she furthered her education in weaving at the Rochester Institute of Technology's School for American Craftsmen Artistic CareerGodfrey began her career focusing on painting and printmaking, often depicting life on Buffalo's East Side. In 1958, inspired by an exhibition in Rochester, she ventured into weaving, creating abstract textile works that incorporated African motifs. Her versatility extended to fiber sculptures, reflecting her continuous exploration of different mediums. ​She organized the weaving program at the University at Buffalo and taught at its Creative Craft Center from 1967 to 1970. Godfrey also co-founded the Langston Hughes Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, aiming to use art to improve social conditions and provide creative outlets for children in disciplines like dance, drawing, painting, weaving, graphic design, and ceramics. Community Engagement and ActivismBeyond her artistic endeavors, Godfrey was deeply involved in community arts initiatives in Western New York. Starting in the early 1950s, she organized and taught drawing and painting classes at the Michigan Avenue YMCA and St. Philip's Episcopal Church Community Center in Buffalo. Her commitment to community service extended to creating commissioned artworks for local churches, including a triptych altar painting for St. Philip's Episcopal Church and a five-panel altar painting for St. Matthew's Episcopal Church. Recognitions and LegacyIn 1974, Godfrey received a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and a scholarship to the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine. She presented her research on African American craft traditions at the National African American Crafts Conference Symposium in 1979. In 1990, she was honored with the Individual Artist Within the Community Award from the Buffalo and Erie County Arts Council, and Medaille College hosted a retrospective of her work. ​ The Burchfield Penney Art Center (BPAC) houses several of her works, including the acrylic painting Saint Maarten (Dutch West Indies) (1989) and City Playground (1949–1950). The center also holds her textile pieces, such as Face Fetish and Untitled (#22), which incorporate African motifs. In 2018, an extensive archive of her career materials, including 350 color slides of her artworks and a 277-page manuscript titled "From These Hands: Contemporary African-American Craftspeople of the 60’s and 70’s," was donated to the BPAC. Wilhelmina Godfrey's enduring legacy as an artist, educator, and community leader continues to inspire and influence the arts community in Buffalo and beyond.